Eastern states lead the way in LPG direct benefit plan

NEW DELHI: Enrolment for Pahal, the revamped direct LPG subsidy transfer scheme, is getting higher response in predominantly rural states, with Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, UP, Assam and Meghalaya notching up a 40% growth rate in enrolment in the last month.

According to an oil ministry statement issued on Friday, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh notched up a growth rate of 35% in the number of consumers seeding their bank accounts with their LPG identity number.

The oil ministry's sustained efforts have brought more than half of the 15.3 crore LPG consumers on to the Pahal platform. So far, the government has transferred Rs 1,260 crore subsidy directly into consumers' accounts.

The scheme is available in all 676 districts in the country, making it the world's largest direct social benefit transfer scheme. The process of bank account seeding is expected to gain momentum with the launch of 5-kg subsidized cylinders, which will make fuel viable for more families, and a discount scheme on new connections for the poor.

Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been personally monitoring the progress in Pahal enrolment, holding random checks with field executives from state fuel retailers as wells as district and bank officials.

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